Note-book holder and line-indicator



(No Model.)

- A. H. MERRILL.

NOTE BOOK HOLDER AND LINE INDICATOR.

. Nh SR 523 T INVENTR ATTOREYS.

1 r A Q II a u a Q why 1 Q M Q Q m d e m H W d vmw 0 L nu N W a C P we .MW 5 i \H J H W Y m -IY 4 m B i S v 8 \6 u S NB M m 6 I a w k w ww w N Q V a JI .o N5 0 1 :U

NlTED SrArEs @rrrcs.

ALBERT H. MERRILL, OF SANFORD, FLORIDA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 358,814, dated March 1, 1887.

Application filed July 524, 1886. Serial No. 209,018. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT HERVE MER- BILL, of Sanford, in the county of Orange and State of Florida, have invented a new and Improved Note-Book Holder and Line-Indicator, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a holder for supporting a note-book or copy in position for convenient reading of the notes or copy by a typewriter or type-setter and for indicating the successive lines of copy to facilitate the correct reproduction of it in print or type; and the invention has for its object to provide a simple, inexpensive, and efficient device of this character.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts of the note-book or copy-holder and line'indicator, all as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved notebook holder and line-indicator with a part of the rim of a type-writer to which it is at tached indicated in section. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the improvement. Fig. 3 is an edge view at the lower end of the device. Fig. 4. is a transverse section on the irregular line or m, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an under side perspective view of the head of the indicator-arm and attached slide-plate for looking it to the operating-screw, and Fig. 6 is a face view of one portion of the clamp which secures the bed of the device to its supporting-arm.

The bed or platen A, which holds the note-- book or copy B to be type-written or set up in type, as the case may be, has a cleat or flange, a, across its upper face, at the bottom, to support the book or copy B, which may also be held to the bed A at its upper end by any suitably-arranged clamps or clips, b b, at

the head of the holder.

At opposite ends, and preferably at its lefthand side, the bed A has fixed lugs c c, in which is j ournaled, parallel with the left-hand edge of the bed, a screw, 0, which carries a ratohetwheel, D, at its lower end. This ratchet is engaged by a rackbar, E, supported in eyes or bearingse e, fixed to the bed A, andits shank is connected to one end of a spring, F, the other end of which is attached to an eye or pin,f, fixed to the bed. The spring acts normally to draw the rack-bar E toward the right-hand edge of the bed A, or in direction from the ratchet D, the teeth of the rack-bar then slipping over those of the ratchet; but when the bar E is moved toward the left hand by the operator, who grasps aknob or handle, e,' on the bar for this purpose, the rack-bar teeth engage those of the ratchetwheel D and turn it and the screw 0, to which it is fixed. A collar, 6, may be held by a set'screw, e, on the rack-bar E, to regulate the extent of movement of the rod for turning the screw 0 more or less to shift the line-indicator a greater or less distance, as the space between the lines of copy shall require, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

A rod, G, is heldin the outer ends of the lugs c 0 parallel to the screw (3, and on this rod the head-piece H of the line-indicator I is fitted to slide and to turn. At its inner end and lower part the head H has a transverse groove, h, at the base of which are formed halfthreads h, fitting the threads of the screw 0. The head has a lengthwise slot, h, through 8o which passes freely a pin, J, the lower end of which is fixed to a plate, K. A spring, if, placed in a recess of the head H,over the plate K, normally expands against the pin J, to press the plate K forward and hold the threads h of the head H. engaged with the screw 0; and the plate may be slid backward or outward, as in Fig. 5, to release the screw and allow the head H and attached indicator I to be swung upward on the rod G, to disengage the half- 0 threads h from the screw to allow the indicator to be quickly shifted to proper position over the copy.

A hollow arm, L, is held by a clamp, M, to the centerof the back face of the bed or platen A, and in this arm a rod, N, is fitted to slide, and said rod N is connected to an extension arm, 0, by atongne-and groovejoint, n, allowing the bed A and attached copy to be swung bodily in horizontal plane to any required angle, enabling the person operating the typewriter or setting up copy in type to use the copy to the best advantage. By drawing the rod N outward more or less in the arm L the bed A and copy thereon may be held nearer to or farther from the type-writing machine, and by turning the rodN in the arm L the bed and copy may be held at any desired backward inclination. A set-screw, l, threaded into the arm L, may be turned in against the rod N to hold the parts N O in either adjustment last above described, and a set-screw, Z, at the joint n may be tightened to hold the bed and copy at any angle of horizontal adjustment.

The outer end of the arm 0 is curved down ward and upward, and its extremity forms one jaw, 0, of a clamp adapted to the table flange or plate P of a type-writing machine, the other jaw, r, of the clamp being formed by the short arm of a lever, R, which is pivoted at r to the arm 0, and has threaded in it a screw, S, which, when turned down against the arm 0, throws the clamp-jaw r forward to fasten the copy-holder to the type-writing machine, as will be understood from Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

The clamp M consists of an inner head, m, held by a screw, a, to the bed A, and having a round boss, m fitting an eye at the inner flattened end Z of the arm L, and an outer head, m, having a screw or bolt end, m, threaded into the boss m and holding the end Z of the arm L firmly to the inner part or head m of the clamp. The faces of the heads at m, gripping the arm L, are radially toothed, serrated, or roughened, as at m, Fig. 6, to give them a firm hold on the arm.

It is obvious that when the clamp vM is loosened the bed A may be adjusted edgewise by turning it in the eye of the arm L, should it be desired to do so for greater convenience of the operator.

In using the note book holder and line indicator the arm will be clamped to the typewriter plate P, as above described, and when the note-book 01' copy is placed on the bed A the indicator will he slid along, the rod G and will be swung down to the upper line or place of beginning-the work, the plate K being first slid back by grasping the head of pin J, and against the tension of the spring h to allow the head H to lock onto the screw 0. hen thefirst line is copied or type-written,the rackrod E will be' moved endwise to turn the ratchet-wheel D and the screw 0, which will draw the indicator downward a distance equaling the space between two lines of copy or to the next line of the copy 13; and when the bar E is released the spring F will draw it back to its first position, ready for another endwise movement to shift the indicator one line downward, as before, and so on for each successive line of the copy. W'hen the page of copyis written, or if for any reason the indicator is to be set back or upward on the copy, the plate K on head H will be moved outward from beneath the screw 0, and the head H may then be raised from the screw by turning it on the rod G, which lifts the indicator I from the copy and allows it to be quickly shifted to the top of another page or to any particular place over the page; and when the indicator is lowered to the copy the threads h of the head H will engage the screw 0 and the plate K will he slid beneath the screw by the spring h to lock the head and indicator to it, ready I01 operation by the screw, when the rack-bar E is next moved endwise, as above described.

When the set-screw Z is loosened, the bed A and attachments may be drawn away from or adjusted nearer to the clamp R S O by sliding the tubular arm L on the rod N; and the arm L may also be turned on this rod to incline the bed from the vertical, and the arm-joint at u may also be adjusted and locked by the set-screw Z, to give the platen bodily horizontal angular adjustment, as hereinhefore explained.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a note-book holder and line-indicator, the combination, with the copy-holding bed, of a rotary screw-rod. j ournaled at its ends to the bed, parallel with one end thereof and held from longitudinal movement, and the sliding indicator having a hub or head provided with screw-threads engaging said screw, whereby, when the screw is rotated, the indicator will be slid along the face of the copy-bed or copy thereon, substantially as set forth.

2. In a note-book holder and line-indicator, the combination, with a copy-holding bed, of a screw-rod journaled thereto, a line-indicator fitted to the rod and adapted to be moved along the bed by the rotation of the rod, a ratchet-wheel on the rod, and a rack-bar engaging the wheel for turning the screw-rod to operate the line-indicator, substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

3. In a note-book holder and line-indicator, the combination, with the copy-holding bed, of a screw-rod journaled thereto, a line-indicator fitted to the rod and adapted to be moved along the bed by the rod, a ratchet-wheel on the rod, a rack-bar engaging the ratchet-wheel and adapted to turn said wheel to operate the line-indicator, and a spring retracting the rack-bar after each movement of the line-indicator, substantially as described, for the pur-,

poses set forth.

4.. In a note-book holder and line-indicator, the combination, with the copy-holding bed A, of a screw-rod, G, journaled thereto, a rod, G, ranging parallel with rod 0, a head, H, fitted to slide and turn on rod G, a line-indicator, I, held to head H, and said head having nut orscrew-thread adapted to the threads of screw 0, and a latch device adapted to lock the threads of head H to the screw 0, substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

5. In a note-book holder and line-indicator, the combination, with the copy-holding bed A, of a screw-rod, O, journaled thereto, a rod,

G, a head, H, on rod G, a line-indicator, I, held to head H, a half-nut or threads, h, 011 head H, and a slide, K, fitted to the head and adapted to lock it to the screw 0, substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

6. A note book holder and line-indicator comprising a bed, A, screw 0, rod G, ratchet D, rack-bar E, spring F, a stop, 6, adjustable on the rack-bar, and aline-indicator, l,adapted for movement by the screw 0, substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

7. A notebook holder and line-indicator comprising a bed, A, screw 0, rod G, ratchet D, rack-bar E, spring F, a head, H, fitted to rod G and to the screw 0, a slide, K, on head H, and a line-indicator, I, held to head H and 

